To: Richnorth who wrote (18041 ) 10/12/2004 12:28:24 PM From: Neeka Respond to of 27181 Leave it to a liberal to besmerch the reputation of a Medal of Honor recipient. He is one VN Veteran and former POW who appears prominently in the "Stolen Honor" documentary. You know......one of the unfortunates that had to endure beatings and torture that intensified after the Winter Soldier Testimony of John Kerry. Leave it to liberals to hate our men and women in the military. Is he one of your "smearvets?" M George E. "Bud" Day George E. "Bud" Day is the nation’s most highly decorated soldier since General Douglas MacArthur. In a military career spanning 34 years and 3 wars, Day received nearly 70 decorations and awards of which more than 50 are for combat. Most notable of his decorations is our nation’s highest military honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor, presented to him by President Gerald Ford. Day was born 24 February 1925 in Sioux City, Iowa, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942, and served 30 months in the South Pacific during World War II. Returning home, he entered law school and passed the Bar exam in 1949. The following year he was commissioned in the Iowa National Guard. In 1951 he was called to active duty to enter pilot training from which he served two tours as a fighter-bomber pilot during the Korean War flying the Republic F-84 Thunderjet. Day entered the Vietnam War when he was assigned to the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing at Tuy Hoa Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, in April 1967. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Phu Cat Air Base where he organized and became the commander of the 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron, the first "Misty Super FAC" unit flying the North American F-100 Super Sabre. On 26 August 1967, Day’s accumulation of over 5000 flying hours came to an abrupt halt when he was shot down over North Vietnam and immediately captured by the North Vietnamese following his ejection. Despite serious injury, he managed to escape and evade across the Demilitarized Zone back into South Vietnam, earning the distinction of being the only prisoner to escape from North Vietnam. Within two miles of freedom and after two weeks of evading, he was re-captured by the Viet Cong. Thus began his 67-month imprisonment that would end only upon his release on 14 March 1973. Three days later Day was reunited with his wife and four children at March AFB, California. After a short recuperative period, Day was returned to active flying status. Colonel Day retired from active duty in 1977. Following his retirement, Day wrote an autobiography, Return with Honor, detailing his suffering as a captive in Vietnam. Day graduated the University of South Dakota Law School in 1949 and currently has a thriving law firm in Fort Walton Beach. On 14 March 1997, the new Survival School Building at Fairchild AFB was named in his honor. Day’s most recent accomplishment came in February 2001 when he won a major victory for World War II and Korean retirees in the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. The court acknowledged the government had breached its contract to provide retirees and their spouses free lifetime medical care. Day lives with his wife Doris in Shalimar, Florida. SETTING: On 8 August 1967, 23 miles west of Dong Hoi, North Vietnam, Major Bud Day, in his North American F-100F Super Sabre, identified and directed an attack against an enemy storage area while controlling eight F-105s. Despite heavy ground fire, he directed bombs on target, destroying SAMs, trucks, and supplies. One jeep escaped, which Day pursued and destroyed with a white phosphorous rocket. Returning to the storage area, Day continued to direct the fight as the enemy tried to recover undamaged SAMs – just another day for Misty 01.au.af.mil